Across the continent, the system’s new announcent rang out like a bell... The Survivors everywhere froze as the system’s ssage appeared before their eyes.
[ System Update: Survivor Leaderboard Activated!]
[ Requirent: Level 10 ]
[ Monthly Rankings with Rewards for Top 3 Survivors.]
For so, it was sothing they wanted to look forward to.
But for others, it felt like a threat. After all, their nas would be published in the Leaderboard, and none of them were sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing just yet.
Many of them didn’t want to expose their abilities after all.
***
In the wreckage of Haven‑32, Renji crouched beside the remains of a fallen Sentinel. His hands were streaked with blood and grease, but he was uninjured.
The shelter around him was nothing but rubble. There were corpses of his previous companions buried beneath steel beams, but he was the only one left alive.
"This..."
The system’s ssage hovered before him, casting a pale glow across the broken rifle he was repairing.
Renji muttered, "Leaderboard... Level 10... rewards for the top three. So the system wants us to fight each other now..."
His mind wasn’t just considering the glory of being listed at the top.
He was also thinking that this might be a chance for murderers like him to eliminate the high-ranking Survivors to get their ranking higher.
Indeed, he was a prisoner prior to the Global Apocalypse!
Because of that, he knew very well that this leaderboard could also be a problem.
Clank...
He then pried open the Sentinel’s chest cavity, pulling free a humming energy core.
"C-Grade Sentinels are the best." Renji muttered as he looked at the core.
Then, after a few monts, he used the very sa core to power up the rifle he had just repaired a few minutes ago!
"Perfect," he whispered as he slid the core into place.
Just like that, the weapon vibrated, and it was alive again. He smirked. "Now... I should probably find a new shelter while the A.I. Army’s activity has reduced."
He then looked at the glowing ssage again... At this point, he already knew that he couldn’t just let the others take the rewards for the Top 3 Survivors. He must obtain it even if it ans that he could be targeted.
"Level 10 is just the start. I’ll make sure my na is carved into that list."
Renji then stood and tested the rifle on a nearby rock.
Thud!
A faint pulse of blue light shot into the rubble, scorching stone.
It wasn’t enough to blast the stone or drill a hole in it, but Renji knew that it would have a different result if used on humans!
***
anwhile, deep in the forests, i sprinted through the undergrowth.
She was not running from Sentinels or any other A.I. Soldiers but from humans!
Indeed, behind her were several n shouting crude threats, and they just wanted to capture her!
Their laughter could even be heard echoing through the trees.
They had survived the siege, too, but desperation had twisted them into predators. Now that the ch Siege was over, they thought that they could take advantage of her!
"That tree’s big enough... I can do this." i muttered as she hurriedly slid behind the tree. She pressed her palm against the bark, and her Talent, Living Camouflage, activated.
Her skin shifted, her clothes darkened, and within seconds she blended seamlessly into the trunk.
After a few seconds, the n rushed past, cursing. One spat, "Where’d she go? She was right here!"
Another one cursed as he also couldn’t find traces of the woman,
"Doesn’t matter. We’ll find her. She won’t get far."
i remained silent as her body went perfectly still.
She could remain hidden indefinitely with her form rging with natural cover. But she was no passive prey. If she were found, she was willing to fight to the death!
Slowly, she drew a dagger and waited...
However, none of them actually noticed her hiding spot.
Instead, the n disappeared deeper into the forest, unaware she was watching them from only a few feet away.
"They’re stupid, huh..." i muttered as she looked in the direction from which she ca, the Haven-11...
With a sigh, i stepped out from the tree, her form returning to normal.
"I should find a new shelter... or at least a proper hiding place," she said, clenching her fist.
She must admit that this apocalypse was unbearable. There were tis she wanted to give up, hoping that death might return her to Earth. But she knew that was unlikely to happen.
’Soone... I hope I can at least find soone I know here,’ i prayed silently.
She needed soone she could trust, soone unlike the n who had chased her monts ago.
As she thought of this, a figure ca to mind, her most reliable co-worker from the company. If he were here, she was certain he would thrive. He was talented, resourceful, and perhaps even capable of hacking the A.I.’s systems if he had the resources.
"Senior Kai..." i muttered as she left the forest.
***
At the sa ti that this was happening, in the ruins of Haven‑19, Arjun finally ca out of the rubble, his body covered in cuts and bruises. His shelter was already gone, reduced to ash... He was the only one left alive.
It ans that his reward was lower than that of many others.
The system’s notification hovered before him...
"Level 10... rewards for the top three. "So that’s the ga now."
Arjun’s Talent, Endurance Surge, allowed him to push his body beyond its limits when wounded. The more blood he shed, the stronger he beca. It was a brutal gift, one that had carried him through the siege when others fell.
"I will be the first one to reach this Level 10—"
As he said this, an update occurred in the Survivor Leaderboard!
[ Survivor Leaderboard ]
[ Ranking List
1. Kai ( Level 10 )
2. Unavailable.
3. Unavailable.
...
10. Unavailable.
"What?! How? Why is he so fast?!" Arjun was shocked, and of course, the shock wasn’t his alone.
Across the continent, survivors stared at the glowing list, stunned.
The first na had already appeared, Kai. He had reached Level 10 before anyone else!
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